Hamline MFAC 2016

How to Eat an Airplane, by Peter Pearson

How to Eat an Airplane is the best etiquette book I’ve read in a while. It begins, “If you want to eat an airplane, there are a few things you should know.” Rather than advising against eating the airplane, however, author Peter Pearson details the steps one must take in arranging a dinner party, where the reader and his or her guests will eat the airplane. If eating an airplane is to be done, it should be done properly.

This picture book is rife with wordplay (“Be sure that you have knives, spoons, and forklifts,”) a feature that delighted my children. There are also groan-worthy puns and jokes for the Dad joke demographic. The fun-loving illustrations (by Mircea Catusana) are a perfect match for the text. And even though the book might be described as absurd, it’s actually based on a true story (see the author’s note.) The back matter gives interesting facts about airplanes, giving the picture book a very complete feel. It’s a book that my kids keep coming back to.